PACIFIC CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM BENTHIC HABITAT MAPPING
      ** SCLERACTINIAN CORAL CLASSIFICATIONS  
Substrate code[1] Living Cover[2] code[3] Coral Genera      (Hawaii only) code[4] Coral (Growth) Morphology code[5]
UNCONSOLIDATED[6] u seagrass[7] sg Pocillopora pp Massive m
     mud[8] m non-scleractinian coral[9] ns Porities (massive & encrusting) pm Plate-like p
     sand[10] s scleractinian coral**[11] sc Porities compressa pc Encrusting e
  coralline algae[12] ca Montipora mo Branching b
    coral or coralline algae[13] cc Acropora a Columnar c
HARDBOTTOM[14] h macroalgae[15] ma Leptoseris l Free-living f
    rubble[16] rb turf algae[17] ta Other live coral ol Foliose fl
    boulder[18] b unclassified algae[19] ua unencrusted coral ue    
    rock[20] rk emergent vegetation[21] ev        
    man-made structure[22] mm Giant Clam gc        
  Other non-mobile inverts[23] nm        
    None[24] no        
               
               
unclassified[25] uc unclassified[26] uc unclassified[27] uc unclassified[28] uc
[1]
Code number to enter into classifcation template.
[2]
The  cover" category quantifies  the occurance of macroscopic organisms growing on and attached to the sea floor.

The organisms listed here include those that have been observed colonizing the seafloor in Pacific coral reef ecosystems. Other organisms may be included as they are encountered.


[3]
Code number to enter into classifcation template.
[4]
Code number to enter into classifcation template.
[5]
Code number to enter into classifcation template.
[6]
Unconsolidated sediments are defined here as being composed of predominantly sand-size or smaller (<2 mm mean diameter) grains. It may be hard, without actually moving material around on the seafloor, to distinguish between rubble or boulders or solid rock. Rubble and boulders may also be covered by benthic algae or other colonizing organisms, further complicating their differentiation. Accordingly, they are included here within the "hardbottom" category.  Sand-sized or smaller sediments, on the other hand, are relatively mobile  and tend to preclude the settlement and growth of many benthic colonizing organisms, making them easier to distinguish from rubble, boulders, and solid rock. If it is not possible to distinguish whether the material is composed of sand or mud sized grains, substrate is recorded as "unconsolidated."
[7]
Marine grass, usually found in shallow, sandy beds.
[8]
Sediment with a grain size of < 1/16 mm.
[9]
The percentage of seafloor covered by corals excluding those of the order Scleractinia as defined by the Coral Reef Ecosystem Conservation Amendments Act of 2007 SEC.18.  Corals are defined as species of the orders Antipatharia (black corals), Gorgonacea (horny corals), Stolonifera (organpipe corals and others), Alcyonacea (soft corals), Heliporacea (blue corals) of the class Anthozoa, and species of the families Milleporidea (fire corals) and Stylasteridae (stylasterid hydrocorals) of the class Hydrozoa.
[10]
Unconsolidated sediment composed predominantely of grains with a mean diameter between  of ≥ 1/16 mm  and < 2 mm.
[11]
The percentage of live corals of the order Scleractinia covering the seafloor. These data are then classified to coral genera (Hawaiian archipelago only) and morphology.
[12]
The percentage of seafloor covered by rigid algae encased in calcium carbonate, usually indicated by a pink or purple hue.  This category does not include algae of the genus Halimeda since they are not encased in calcium carbonate.
[13]
The percentage of seafloor covered by growth that can be identified as either coral or coralline algae, but not  differentiated as to which of those it is.
[14]
Hard, consolidated substrate. Note that rubble and boulder categories are typically classified as large-grained sediments. However, they may be covered by algae, corals or other benthic colonizers and therefore indistinguishable from consolidated rock. Accordingly, they are included within the hardbottom sub-category.
[15]
The percentage of large, obvious patches of algal growth which obscure the substrate.This category excludes low turf algae, which colonize most hard substrates that are not otherwise colonized, but are too small to be seen in many optical and diver-based surveys.  Algae of the genus Halimeda are included in this category.  Although Halimeda sp. do contain calcareous structures they are not encased in calcium carbonate. 
[16]
Fragments of coral or other carbonate reef material, typically of gravel (> 2mm) and cobble (baseball) size with finer and coarser sediments mixed in.
[17]
The percentage of seafloor covered by diminutive, filamentous algae which colonize most hard substrates that are not otherwise colonized, but are too small to be seen in many optical and diver-based surveys.  This algae is very common on reef flats and can occur as a dense mat.  Height ranges from 1 to 10 mm. 
[18]
Substrate covered in pieces of rock (basaltic or carbonate) with a  25.6 cm diameter or larger.
[19]
This category is used when the observer can identify living cover as either macroalgae, turf, or clacareous algae, but is unable to distinguish which.  If no other living cover can be discerned on a hard substrate, we assume that it is colonized by some type of algae and it is classified as unclassified algae.
[20]
Consolidated hard substrate composed of either volcanic or carbonate rock.
[21]
The percentage of the seafloor covered by vegetation, such as mangrove, that is located seaward of the low tide line but is also subaerially exposed.
[22]
     Most hard benthic substrates in the photic zone and not otherwise colonized will rapidly become colonized by turf algae.  However, very often turf algal communities are often too small to be distinguishable, in which case the substrate type is listed.
     As with sediments, man-made structures may be listed under "Substrate Composition" and may also be appropriate "Cover" category entries.
[23]
Bivalves, molluscs, sponges, tunicates, bryozoans, zoanthids, or other sessile invertebrates that are fixed to the substrate.
[24]
Most hard substrates not otherwise colonized are assumed to have turf algae, so this category is limited to sandy substrate.
[25]
A particular data entry may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of an area was seen to classify, etc.
[26]
A particular data entry may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of an area was seen to classify, etc.
[27]
A particular data entry may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of an area was seen to classify, etc.
[28]
A particular data entry may be unclassified because image quality was poor, because not enough of an area was seen to classify, etc.